
Yields:
1 serving(s)
Prep Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
15 mins
Whether you're practicing dry (or damp) January or not, winter is the perfect time to swap your favorite cocktail for a mocktail. This Bee’s Knees mocktail spritz, inspired by the gin-based classic drink, has lemon, a sweet honey syrup, and is topped off with club soda. Here, we add a fresh garnish of lemon peel and sugared rosemary for a mocktail you'll want to make all winter long.
Alcohol-free spirits are widely available now, and alcohol-free gin contains all the essential herbal notes that gin has, such as juniper, citrus, and other botanicals. This drink is shaken with equal parts syrup, fresh lemon juice, and non-alcoholic gin. To turn this simple mocktail into a bright and refreshing beverage, take a few extra minutes to make honey syrup and prepare sugared rosemary for the garnish.
The recipe below calls for just one serving of honey syrup and one rosemary sprig, but feel free to scale up; the ratio for the syrup is one-to-two parts honey to water. I recommend making a larger batch of the syrup and rosemary so it’s easier to make this cocktail for two or more servings.
This drink is best shaken in a cocktail shaker and served in a chilled glass. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, place all the drink ingredients in a tall glass with ice, use a bar spoon, or a tall spoon, and stir the ingredients until chilled. Or better yet, combine all the ingredients in a mason jar with ice and shake away. Be sure to strain the drink into a wide-stem glass. Then top off the glass with club soda, a curl of lemon peel, and a sugared rosemary sprig.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
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Ingredients
Honey Syrup
- 2 oz.
water
- 1 oz.
honey
Sugared Rosemary
- 1
sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp.
granulated sugar
Cocktail
- 2 oz.
alcohol-free gin
- 1 oz.
fresh lemon juice
Ice
Club soda, for topping off
Lemon peel, for garnish
Directions
Honey Syrup
- Step 1In a small heatproof bowl or cup, microwave water and honey until honey is dissolved and smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir and let cool. (Alternatively, in a small pot over medium-low heat, bring water and honey to a simmer and cook, stirring, until honey is dissolved.)
- Step 2Make Ahead: Honey syrup can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Sugared Rosemary
- Step 1Spoon 1 oz. honey syrup into a shallow dish. Dip rosemary into syrup, shaking off excess. Pour sugar onto another shallow dish. Add rosemary and toss to generously coat in sugar.
- Step 2Transfer rosemary to a plate. Let sit at room temperature to set, about 45 minutes, or refrigerate up to 1 day.
Cocktail
- Step 1In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, lemon juice, 1 oz. honey syrup, and 2 to 3 ice cubes. Cover and vigorously shake until outside of shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.
- Step 2Strain mocktail into a chilled stem glass. Top off with club soda. Garnish with lemon peel and sugared rosemary sprig.
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